Hurt
by PeaceLightVictory
Summary: I bruise you, you bruise me. We both bruise so easily. Too easily to let it show. I love you, and that's all I know. MozenrathxOC


**Author's Note: I randomly wanted to write this. If you haven't read Ruler of the Sands, then you'll have no clue who Inaya or Rahi are. So I suggest you read that first. And folks, this is rated T because of the subtle innuendo. So have a care. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Hurt<strong>

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Inaya sighed miserably as she pressed a hand to her side. Glancing up at her reflection in a large mirror she frowned. Mozenrath had been sparing with her earlier and left a particularly nasty bruise. It was a lucky shot. She didn't want him knowing how much it hurt.

The sound of someone entering the room beyond the wash room door, alerted the young sorceress. Mozenrath would be waiting for her, and she didn't want to make him wait. She nibbled on her lip in indecision. She wasn't sure what kind of mood he was in. Inaya hoped he was tired and just wanted to sleep. If that was the case, then all she would need to do was be careful which side she slept on and avoid too much physical contact in that one spot on her lower back.

If he was in a more – playful mood, she wouldn't deny him. Inaya knew she wouldn't be able to deny him. She enjoyed their nights together to much to avoid them. Inaya sighed again. She would need to give herself a pain relief spell or potion before hand.

Inaya lifted a potion from a shelf hanging nearby and was about to uncork it. Pursing her lips into a determined line, Inaya replaced the potion on the shelf. Mozenrath would need to come into the wash room after she was finished. He would notice she used a pain relief potion. Tiredly, Inaya rested her hand over the bruise again. She murmured the spell and felt a slight twinge of pain before a cool flush of magic soothed it away.

"Inaya?" A hand knocked on the door and Inaya turned her head toward the low, silky tone of voice. "Are you almost finished?"

She smiled wryly at the arrogant and irritated voice of her lover. He was baiting her no doubt. Inaya pulled her shirt back over her head and walked toward the door. Opening it, she smiled sweetly up at him. "Don't take too long."

The Ruler of the Black Sands, scowled at her. "I believe you were the one spending far too much time in there."

Inaya stepped aside for him and giggled at his quirked eyebrow. "I have to be at my best for you, don't I, my lord?"

Mozenrath's gloved hand rose to catch and cradle the back of her head. His face was instantly inches away from hers. "You are always at your best – no matter what your state of appearance." Inaya shivered at the implications and the gaze that swept lower than her face.

Wanting to break the contact before they did exactly what she wasn't looking forward to doing, Inaya rose on her toes to press a chaste kiss to his lips and shoved him in his chest into the wash room. She giggled again at his irritated expression before walking over to the bed.

Inaya sighed in relief when the door clicked shut. Her heart rate slowed a bit and she gently laid down on the dark pillows and blankets.

Rahi hopped up onto the bed and rubbed Inaya's head affectionately. "Inaya hurt?"

"I'm fine, Rahi." Inaya whispered, casting a wary gaze at the wash room. She didn't want Mozenrath overhearing. "You better go to your bed."

The cat wrinkled her nose before giving Inaya a quick lick. "Night, Inaya."

The young woman lifted herself up onto her elbows to watch Rahi jump off of the bed and scurry out the door. When Inaya and Mozenrath had started spending their nights doing other activities, the sorcerer had insisted the familiars sleep elsewhere. Xerxes had taken the transition well – Rahi not so much.

Inaya exhaled loudly before flopping back onto the pillows. She hissed in pain when she landed on the large bruise. The spell hadn't worked as well as she hoped. Inaya glanced worriedly at the wash room door. He would want to follow up on their banter. She knew it. The look he had given her before she stepped away from him assured her that they were going to have a long night.

Inaya rolled onto her uninjured side and hugged a pillow. She could feign sleep. Maybe he would leave her be. Inaya frowned at herself. No. He would pester her until she complied. The door creaked open from the wash room. Inaya slowed her breathing and closed her eyes. She could at least try.

The young woman listened intently as Mozenrath's booted feet crossed the floor to the bedroom door. She felt her heart skip a beat when the door clicked shut. Inaya strained to listen to his progress across the floor. He was settling into one of his chairs. Inaya suppressed a shiver; she could _feel_ his eyes on her. Mozenrath's boots thumped as they hit the floor. Inaya listened to the rustle of fabric falling to the floor.

Inaya quieted her breathing so she could hear him. She never could hear him walking toward the bed when his boots were off. Mozenrath had perfected the art of stealth and he used it to his advantage when he wanted to surprise her.

A startled gasp escaped her when the bed dipped suddenly beside her. Inaya felt heat flushing her face when he chuckled. "Inaya." Mozenrath sing-songed as he reached out a hand to rest gently on her cheek. She shivered when his breath feathered against her close eyelids. His voice whispered beside her ear, "You can't fool me."

Eyes fluttering open, Inaya risked a coy smile. "No?"

A grin was stretching across his face. "Never." Without warning, Mozenrath pressed his lips hungrily against hers. Inaya wrapped her arms around his head when his tongue forced entry into her mouth. A moan escaped her and she winced when he forced her to roll over onto her back. She wouldn't let him know. She wouldn't.

For a few minutes, the passionate kiss made her forget again. Mozenrath's hands untangled themselves from her hair and traveled down to her body. Inaya gasped in pleasure as his hands roamed and his kisses trailed over her face and down her neck. He bit lightly in some places then licked the marks to sooth the smart.

Inaya smiled and hummed when he continued. She concentrated on the wonderful sensations of his lips, teeth, and hands as they –

"Ah!" She yelped as his uncovered hand clenched her injured side. Inaya's hands rose to shove him away from her.

Mozenrath backed away in wide-eyed shock. He watched as Inaya sat up and pressed a hand to her side and tried to blink the tears from her eyes. A frown creased his face and he reached a cautious hand out to her. "Inaya."

"It's nothing." She stated hastily.

A scowl replaced his frown. "Inaya, let me see." She stubbornly shook her head.

Mozenrath edged closer to her and gripped her wrist. Without heeding her protests, he jerked her hand away from her side with one hand while he lifted her shirt with the other. In the flickering light from the lanterns and candles, Mozenrath's narrowed eyes glared at the blue, green, and black mark that covered her left side and lower back.

"When did you get this?" he demanded calmly.

Inaya winced at his voice. He was mad – more than mad. He was furious. Not at her – only a little mad at her – he was furious at himself for hurting her. Inaya remained very still. If she tried to pull away from him, he would leave her alone until she healed. He wouldn't even look at her until the bruise was gone if she pulled away from him now. Mozenrath would punish himself for hurting her.

"I got it this morning during our sparing session." Inaya answered, her eyes lowered. She tried her hardest not to wince when his cold fingers brushed against her pained skin. "I should have said something then."

"Yes." He agreed in a low voice, not lifting his gaze to meet her eyes. "You should have."

"But it wasn't as bad then!" She protested. Inaya felt tears stinging her eyes again. He was not going to blame himself for this. "And it's my own fault for letting my guard down like that."

Mozenrath slowly lifted his head to look at her. His dark brown eyes bore into her blue and he didn't say a word. Releasing his hold on her wrist, he let his gloved hand probe gently at the bruise. Still watching her face, he caught the winces and tears that escaped her control. "So that was why you moved the pain relief potion." He stated, he didn't ask.

Inaya nodded tersely. "I knew you would notice if I actually drank any." She mumbled to herself.

"You didn't even try to heal it yourself?" he inquired incredulously.

"I did try." Inaya defended her actions. "But I was tired already. You know how I push myself too hard sometimes – especially if I'm trying out new spells." She bit her lip and blushed. She hadn't planned on telling him that she was working on new spells. Not until she had perfected them.

Mozenrath's gauntlet covered hand began to glow and soothed the bruise away. "You need to be more careful." His voice was harsh and it was his tone that made her wince instead of her side. His hand falling away, Mozenrath eased off the bed and went to go stand on the balcony, his back to her.

Inaya twisted slightly so she could see her side and part of her back. The skin had returned to its normal color and didn't hurt. Glancing back up, she frowned sadly. Now he was going to avoid her. Shaking her head, Inaya pulled her shirt down and slid off the bed to follow the sorcerer. Her feet padded up to until there was a foot of space between them.

Her blue eyes stared at his back, taking in the tenseness of his shoulders as his fisted hands rested on the stone railing. Inaya glanced up at his curly black hair that she loved to twist her fingers in. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered against the night air.

"I did not heal you just so you could get sick." Mozenrath monotoned. "Go to bed."

"Only if you come with me." She retorted with another shiver. This time he didn't answer. Drawing her lips into a determined line, she stepped up beside him and looked up at his profile.

Mozenrath did not turn his face away and he did not let his eye glance out of his peripheral vision at her. He stared straight ahead, and ignored her as best as his senses would allow. He had hurt her. He hated hurting her. It made him feel like a monster – to see her wince or recoil or cry – he felt like a monster like Destane.

Inaya reached out one of her hands and let it rest on the tense muscles hidden beneath his billowing sleeve. She inched closer to him as her fingers dug into the fabric. He made no move away or toward her. "It wasn't your fault." she insisted. "I should have said something sooner. Rahi wanted me to."

This gained his attention. Mozenrath turned his head so he could glare down at her. "Your cat knew." It wasn't a question.

Inaya's grasp weakened a little and she felt her instincts preparing her for one of his scathing insults or remarks. Ready to run if she needed to. Slowly she nodded her head. "She's my familiar, Mozenrath. Of course she would know I was hurt."

His head turned away again, a scowl wrinkling his brow. "Of course. Your _familiar_ would know. Certainly not your _love_."

"That is not what I meant!" Inaya scolded as she tugged on his sleeve, like a child that wanted an adult's attention.

"What else could you possibly mean?" Mozenrath hissed through clenched teeth. "Your cat knows you better than I! If I knew you so well then I would have realized I was pushing too hard! If I knew you so well I would have realized every moment you winced when you stood. The unevenness of your breathing when you're trying not to cry! How you tighten your lips and jaw when you're in pain!" His voice rose until it echoed off the tower's walls behind them.

"You do know me! You understand me." Inaya retorted, lifting her voice so she could be heard. "As I understand you." She clung to his arm. "You cannot blame yourself for an accident or my own stubborn pride. I try so hard to be like you. To hide my weaknesses as you hide -"

"Inaya." His eyes narrowed and his voice held a warning to it.

Frustrated tears stung her eyes. "You do! Do not deny it, Mozenrath! Do not think that _I_ don't notice when you come back from Allah knows where and you collapse into your chair from exhaustion. Don't think I don't notice when a healing potion is missing. Don't think I don't notice when the potion you made to help ease your mind of the gauntlet's whispers is nearly empty. Don't think I don't notice when Rahi and Xerxes are trying their best to keep me from the laboratory. Don't think I don't notice when you wake suddenly at night biting your hand to muffle your screams or how you are sweating from fear and how you leave me alone in bed instead of seeking comfort with me – the one who understands you! Don't think I don't know that you are just as vulnerable as any mortal man on the Earth!"

Inaya sobbed and buried her face into her fisted hands that clung to his sleeve. Her shoulders shook with her sobs. "It hurts more that you do not trust me – still. After all this time. It hurts more than any physical wound anyone could ever inflict on me."

Slowly, Mozenrath turned and drew her into his arms. He felt her sobs shaking her entire frame and his arms tightened around her, his hands soothingly rubbing circles on her back. He didn't say a word. He couldn't. Eyes closing in agony, Mozenrath bowed his head over hers in an attempt to shield them both. Pressing a kiss to her hair he let out a sigh. "I hate hurting you."

"I know." She murmured, turning her face so her cheek rested against his chest. Inaya listened to the rapid beating of his heart. "But you don't do it on purpose." She felt him tense and she continued clinging to him. "Please, do not blame yourself. I let my guard down. You said so yourself."

Mozenrath relaxed only a little. He placed his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her head back so they could look each other in the eye. "Never hide this from me again."

"Only if you promise the same." Inaya retorted quietly, her eyes pleading with him.

"You understand me, Inaya." He sighed as he let his head fall and their foreheads touch. Closing his eyes he shook his head slightly, moving her head with his. "So you understand that it will not be an easy for me."

"But you can try." She insisted carefully.

The man opened his eyes again, dark brown staring into electric blue. "For you, Inaya. Only for you."

Inaya's smile brightened her face. "That is all I ask. Now," pulling back and letting her hands slide into his, Inaya tugged him back into the room, "I believe we have some unfinished business, my lord."

A smug grin spread across Mozenrath's face. In two short strides he swept her up and over his shoulder. Inaya yelped and laughed in surprise. "You are correct, my lady." He said as he settled her onto the cushions and blankets covering their bed. With a self-satisfied smirk, Mozenrath kissed a place on her throat before whispering into her ear, "I'll try not to hurt you."


End file.
